Top Ten Tuesday: New to ME Authors of 2015

I cannot believe that we are already starting Top Ten Tuesday lists that are summarizing up our reading experiences for 2015! That just does not compute with me. But I have been a little lax on my blogging, and what a perfect week to try to jump back into the swing of things! 2015 was a GREAT reading year for me, filled with many authors that were new to me! I honestly had a really hard time picking because I loved every new author’s book that I read. Basically I selected the authors that had books that stuck with me the most. This will be in no particular order.

Rachel E Carter, author of the Black Mage series: My friend begged and begged and begged me to read this series. I finally caved after a few months and OH MY GOSH…I am so glad I did. This series is filled with everything that I would want in a fantasy series and it has a character that I feel like I can actually relate to! It’s not often that I think I am basically the main character in a book. I adore this series and am getting pretty excited to get my hands on Candidate, the 3rd book. If you have not started this series and like fantasy I highly recommend you start it. It’s fantastic and will have you experiencing all the ups and downs of reading that we all seem to love.

Renee Ahdieh, author of The Wrath and The Dawn duology: Oh my gosh this book captivated me. Her writing is so fantastic and I found myself just lost in the world she created around the characters. I could not put this one down. I felt all the feels during this one and I cannot wait to get my hands on the 2nd book because THAT ENDING GUYS! It wrecked me. She has a way with words and a way of really grabbing the attention of the reader and KEEPING it there. I am so glad I was able to read her book this year.

Tahereh Mafi, author of the Shatter Me series: I know, I know. It’s shocking that I had not touched this series until this year, and it’s even more shocking that I have not yet finished it. I loved her unique style of writing and the story she created. She really pulled me in to this story and took me for an emotional roller coaster ride, which I loved. I honestly feel like I cannot accurately describe how much I loved this book. I think it’s pretty obvious by the fact that I have been avoiding the rest of the series because I am so scared of being done with it. I should probably finish it…

Kiersten White, author of Illusions of Fate: I was so excited to find a stand alone, and even more excited that it was as awesome as this one. I had never even heard of this one until I saw a blog post around the internet about this particular book. She has many books that I honestly had not even heard of, but I will definitely be looking into them now. Her writing is so awesome. The characters she created really stuck with me, which I loved. I hope to be able to read more from her!

Victoria Aveyard, author of Red Queen: Oh my gosh, I loved this book. It was everything I needed. She sure knows how to write in twists and turns that felt like they would KILL me. I loved not really knowing exactly what would happen next. I think she created an awesome storyline and world and I REALLY need to know what happens next ok!?

Heather Demetrios, author of I’ll Meet You There: This book was powerful. This shed some light on a very difficult subject that I have not had personal experience in but I know of it’s importance. I know how badly we all need to be aware and there for people with PTSD. She created such a believable story to go with it too. There weren’t things that I was questioning or concerned about because I knew that they could all be real situations. This book had me sobbing, and it had me feeling all kinds of things that I honestly didn’t know I would feel. I loved it. I should probably get more from her!

Jessi Kirby, author of Things We Know By Heart: I had no clue what to expect from this book or from this author. I knew that she came highly praised so I was so curious how she would tackle a book like this. Oh my, this book. She created this book that I felt completely and totally emotionally invested in, which I did not think would happen. I didn’t think I would feel just THAT intense of a draw to this particular book. I hope to be able to read more from her, because that is definitely a feeling I miss having.

Tamora Pierce, author of the Song of the Lioness series: It’s shocking that I hadn’t read anything by her until this year right? Yep, I was shocked too. Because as I was reading this book (and loving it) I kept thinking about how much I would have loved it at the age of 12. Seriously, I would have been all about this book. It was perfection, and I cannot wait to further jump on the Tamora Pierce fan train!

Erin Bowman, author of Vengeance Road: I can seriously thank this author for reminding why I loved books set in the West. I always loved books that were set in the westward movement, but never had I read a western like this. I loved every single second of this. She wrote characters that I loved and a world that I could so easily picture! Seriously, this book is fantastic (AND A STANDALONE!)! Get on it if you haven’t already.

Jodi Meadows, author of The Orphan Queen: I feel like that should read “Jodi Meadows, author who ripped my heart to shreds (but in a good way!)” I don’t know what it is but I fell in love with how she told this story, even if it ended in my heartbreak (and me thinking of just what I could do to get the next book!). She built this fantastic world and made amazing characters that I would definitely like to know WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED! But that’s probably giving too much away. I love her writing, I love her book, and I need to read more from her!

What are some new to YOU authors that you read throughout this past year?

That seems to be the general feelings toward it. I was warned before reading it that the style was a little different, but not everyone gets that warning. Oh well. I hope you get the chance to try it and that you like it! I definitely need to finish that series!

I’m so glad she was able to make my list! Thanks again for sending that book to me. Red Queen was really good. Like intense. THAT ENDING! It was that PERFECT fantasy that I needed right at that moment! Hope you get to it soon!